Written by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Stephen Karam, Speech and Debate feels ripped from today’s headlines. What begins as a story of on-line stalking quickly snowballs into a play that is part mystery, part coming-of-age story; a smart comedy and an insightful reflection of what it means to be young in America today.

Panelists called Speech and Debate “a wonderful production… contemporary, real and sometimes raw.” They were unanimous in praising CCM Drama Chair Richard Hess’ direction: “tight and economical, allowing his actors to bond together in their awkwardness while slowly revealing their secrets.”

The ensemble in the show “couldn’t be better… they worked marvelously together as a seamless unit.” Panelists singled out actress Katie Langham’s performance as Diwata: “brilliant, quick-delivery, comic in the truest sense.”

Critics have heaped praise on this production, with David Lyman calling the show “glorious to watch” in his review for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Kirk Sheppard observed that Langham is “on track to be a major comedic star” in his review for The Sappy Critic.

In his review for Behind the Curtain Cincinnati, Rob Bucher wrote that, “The show features excellent direction by Richard E. Hess, and is extremely well-cast with a committed and fearless leading trio.”

MacKenzie Bower concluded that Speech and Debate was “a lovable show for all” in her review for The News Record.

CCM Drama will next present a free play reading series from Nov. 17 – 20, focusing on dramatic treatments of war and aggression. From England to Vietnam to Africa and beyond, this series will allow CCM’s Dramatic Performance majors to consider global and historical conflicts through the lens created by the playwright. All readings will begin at 7 p.m. in room 4735 of UC’s Corbett Center for the Performing Arts. The schedule includes:

Tuesday, Nov. 18: Jackie Sibblies Drury’s We Are Proud to Present a Presentation about the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915, directed by Richard E. Hess.

CCM’s Drama Season then resumes Feb. 11 – 15 with a Mainstage Series production of Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles, directed by Richard E. Hess. Tickets are on sale now.

About the League of Cincinnati TheatresThe League of Cincinnati Theatres was founded in 1999 to strengthen, nurture and promote Cincinnati’s theatre community. LCT provides its member companies and individual members with education, resources and services to enhance the quality and exposure of the theatre community in Cincinnati and increase community awareness, attendance and involvement. Learn more about the LCT here.

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The latest installment of WVXU’s Around Cincinnati features a number of upcoming CCM performances! First up, guest artist D. Lynn Meyers gives Jim Stump a preview of this week’s Mainstage Production of Metamorphoses (Feb. 5 – 9). You can listen to their full conversation here.

Later on in the program, Brian O’Donnell speaks with CCM faculty members AwadaginPratt and Michael Chertock about the BearcatPiano FestivalandPianopalooza (Feb. 6 – 16). You can listen to the interview here.

The Cincinnati Enquirer‘s list of Top Arts Picks for February is also filled with CCM happenings, including the Bearcat Piano Festival, Metamorphoses, and Les Misérables (Feb. 27 – March 9). Read the full preview here.

Even Gramophone Magazine’s latest podcast features an upcoming CCM performance, as James Jolly speaks with guest artist Gerald Finley about his current tour with pianist Julius Drake, which comes to CCM’s Corbett Auditorium on Feb. 5! You can download the podcast here.

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The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is excellent in so many ways – we have unparalleled faculty, the magnificent CCM Village, generations of successful alumni and so much more. CCM truly is a premiere performing and media arts institution. Continuing this excellence requires us to set our sights even higher. To do this requires us to ask ourselves challenging and probing questions, and we need your participation to be successful.

ONECCM – The Path Forward is our way of asking critical questions of each other and of leaving no stone unturned. We need your assistance and voice in this process, and we are asking for input from every willing faculty, staff and student of the college, of alumni, friends and community members. Our goal is to have 100% participation from CCM’s faculty and staff. ONECCM – The Path Forward will be the way we differentiate ourselves as a premiere performing and media arts institution.

For more information about ONECCM – The Path Forward, please visit ccm.uc.edu/about/oneccm. You can also complete the ONECCM Survey by clicking here:

This survey will take no more than ten minutes and is your opportunity to have a voice in creating the Path Forward for CCM. There will be other opportunities to participate in focus groups later in the academic year. This is a participatory process and the survey data is being collected anonymously by our strategic partners. Thank you in advance for participating. Having as many voices as possible will create a robust vision for our future.

This is a critical moment in our history. Change is happening all around us, and CCM is adapting to those changes, so please assist us in this quest to become an even more excellent CCM.

Respectfully yours,Peter Landgren, Dean
Thomas James Kelly Professor of Music
College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati

Kanniks Kannikeswaran is a pioneer of the Indian American choral movement. His far reaching work in this area has led to the founding of Indian community choirs in not only Cincinnati, but also Washington, D.C.; Houston; Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Allentown, Pa.; Toronto; and, most recently, The Hague.

He has collaborated with artists such as Lakshmi Shankar, Mallika Sarabhai, with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and with institutions such as the National University of Singapore in producing crisp innovative works that convey the message of universal connectedness.

His magnum opus Shanti – A Journey of Peace has personally touched the lives of over 900 performers and has been seen by over 9000 even as many more communities are gearing towards performing this work.

The world’s finest jazz trumpet players will compete for $15,000 in total prizes during this prestigious competition, which is sponsored by the Herb Alpert Foundation. This year’s proceedings will culminate with a free gala concert on Sept. 14, featuring performances by the finalists and the acclaimed judges, with accompaniment by the Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra.Learn more about the Competition and related events here.